Sweater form



H. F. BROWN SWEATER FORM Aug. 20, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 9, 1956 INVENTOR.

HELEN FEJA BROWN E, Hi

ATTORNEY H. F. BROWN SWEATER FORM Aug. 20, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2v Filed July 9, 1956 mmvmk. HELEN YFEJA BROWN $4 #3 7 ATTOR/VE Y H. F, BROWN S'WEATER FORM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 9, 1956 INVENTOR.

HELEN FEJA BROWN a; m

Arron/v5) Z, %3,386 Patented Aug. 20,,

SWEATER FORM Helen Feja Brown, Fort Smith, Ark. Application July 9, 1956, Serial No. 596,677 2 Claims. (Cl. 223-69) This invention relates to apparel apparatus and particularly to forms for holding sweaters and the like so that they are maintained in proper shape during drying.

An object of the invention'is to provide 'a novel, inexpensive, sweater form comprised of 'a plurality of sections adapted for quick assembly in detachable interlocking engagement, in which various sections are interchangeable for the selective provision of difierent sleeve length portions as desired.

Another object is to provide a knock-down sweater form in which the component parts are designed to facilitate packaging in units of relatively small bulk when disassembled.

Other and incidental objects will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded plan view of one specific embodiment of the sweater form of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail view of latching means for securing the body sections in assembled relation;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary exploded plan view of a portion of the structure of Fig. 1, illustrating an interchangeable sleeve section;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the invention, with parts assembled;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is an exploded plan view of the component parts of the form structure shown in Fig. 4;

Figs. 9 and 10 are fragmentary plan views of alternative shoulder and sleeve sections for use in the form of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detail view, partly broken away, illustrating the interlocking engagement of the gppe; and lower body sections of the form shown in In all forms of the invention the component parts are made of light openwork frame material such as molded plastic composition or an acceptable substitute, of skeleton outline and preferably with reinforcing webs at corners and ends. The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1-3 comprises a complemental pair of body half-sections 12; each of which has a longitudinal center strip 13, a neck bar 14, a shoulder portion 15, a waist portion 16, and a bottom bar 17, all integral. One halfsection center strip carries at its top end a hanger hook 18 and is provided for practically its entire length with a side edge recess 19 constituting a groove closed at its upper end and open at its bottom end for mating with a complemental tongue 20 on the adjacent side edge of the other half-section center strip whereby, when the tongue and groove connection is completed, the two half-sections are interengaged in assembled relation. A channel latch 21 is pivotally mounted on the bottom end of one of the half-sections to override and frictionally engage the bottom 17 on the other half-section to hold the parts in assembled relation in the manner indicated in full lines in Fig. 2. Each shoulder portion 15 substantially parallels the center strip of its half-section and is provided in its outer side edge with a top end opening groove 22 that is closed at its bottom end and which is adapted, to receive a longitudinally beaded tongue 23 on the abutting inner side edge of an open framework full length sleeve section 24 that terminates at its outer end in a cult POI. tion 25. As shown in Fig. 3, the sleeve sections 2'4fare interchangeable with short sleeve sections 24 1 which carry on their inner side edges a beaded tongue 23a for engagement in the grooves 22 of the half-sections 12.

It is apparent from Fig. 1, and is so intended, that when the form is dismantled the half-sections 1 3 rnay be superposed with the sleeve sections 24 and 24a nested within the open spaces of the half-section frames; so that the entire unit occupies only a relatively small space for packaging purposes. in assembling, the two half-sections 12 are joined at their tongue and groove eent er strip connection and are secured by the swinging latch 21. A selected pair of the sleeve sections is then attached by the tongue and groove connections at the shoulder portions 15 and the form is ready for use. in assembled position all the component parts lie flatly in a common plane.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 4 11 is substantially similar to the form of Figs. 1 3, but incorporates additional sections to facilitate interchangeability of parts and to enable smaller space packaging. With reference to Fig. 4 it will be se en that the assembly comprises a combined neck, shoulder, and bust member consisting of a complement pair of body quarter-sections 26; and comprises also a waist member consisting of a complemental pair of body quarter-sections 27. Each quarter-section 26 has a longitudinal center strip 28, a neck bar 29, a shoulder portion 30, and a bottom bar 31, all integral. One quarter-section center strip carries at its top end a hanger hook 32 and is provided for practically its entire length with a side edge recess 33 constituting a groove closed at its upper end and open at its bottom end for mating with a complemental beaded tongue 34 on the adjacent side edge of the other quartersection-center strip. The two quarter-sections are connected in assembled relation by engaging the top end of the beaded tongue 34 in the open bottom end of the groove 33 and sliding the sections longitudinally upon each other until the top end of the tongue abuts the top end of the groove, whereupon the two sections are interlocked in the position shown in Fig. 4.

Each waist member quarter-section has a top bar 35 parallel and equal in length to the bottom bar 31 of a quarter-section 26 with which it is adapted to connect. Each quarter-section 27 has also an outer waist frame bar 36, a bottom 37, and a longitudinal center strip 38, all integral. The quarter-section 27 that is intended for connection with the quarter-section 26 which has the center strip groove 33 has a groove 39 in its center strip identical to the groove 33 except that it is open at both top and bottom; and has also on its top bar 35 a beaded tongue 40 which terminates at its inner end flush with the bottom of the center strip groove 39 and which terminates at its outer end slightly inwardly with respect to the waist frame bar 36. This tongue 4% is adapted for longitudinally slidable engagement in and through the open inner end of a complemental groove 41 in the bottom bar 31 of the mating quarter-section 26. The groove 41 is equal in length to the tongue 40, is closed at its outer end, and opens at its inner end into the bottom end of the center strip groove 33.

In like manner, the bottom bar 31 of the quartersection 26 which carries the beaded tongue 34 is recessed to provide a groove 42 open at its inner end beneath the bottom end of the tongue and closed at its outer end.

This groove is adapted to receive a coextensive plain tongue 43 on the top bar 35 of the other one of the waist sections 27. The inner end of the tongue 43 merges into the top end of a beaded tongue 44 on the center strip of the section and which registers longitudinally with the tongue 34 when the parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 11, in interlocked engagement with the groove 39 of the companion waist section 27.

The shoulder portions 30 parallel the center strips 28 and are provided in their outer edge faces with grooves 45 closed at their bottom ends and open at their top ends. Each groove is adapted to receive the complemental and coextensive beaded tongue 46 on the inner end edge of an intermediate sleeve section 47 that is provided in its outer end edge with a groove 48 open at its top end and closed at its bottom end to receive a complemental coextensive beaded tongue 49 on an outer sleeve section 50 that terminates in a cuff portion 51. The sleeve sections 47 and .50 of Figs. 4 and 8 may be substituted by an interchangeable short sleeve section 52 provided on its inner end edge with a beaded tongue 53 for slidable engagement in the groove 45 of shoulder portion 30. An alternative construction is shown in Fig. 10, in which each upper body quarter-section 26a with shoulder portion 30a and the short sleeve section 52a are integral to constitute a one-piece attachment.

' Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and appended claims.

half-section in a manner to overlie and close the open end of the groove and to secure the half-sections in rigidly connected relation when assembled.

2. A form for drying sweaters and the like comprising, a pair of complemental half-body sections each having a longitudinal center strip, a neck bar, a shoulder portion, a waist portion, and a bottom bar, all integral and defining an openwork frame, the opposed edges of said center strips having in one a longitudinal groove closed at its top end and open at its bottom end and on the other a coextensive mating tongue, and a channel latch pivoted on the bottom bar of one section for movement over the bottom bar of the other section with the walls of the latch in frictional engagement with the bottom bar of that section and with the bottom of the latch overriding and closing the open bottom end of said groove,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 830,257 Smith et a1. Sept. 9, 1906 2,157,822 French May 9, 1939 2,213,975 Burwell Sept. 10, 1940 2,307,256 Burwell Jan. 5, 1943 2,777,618 Wilklow Jan. 15, 1957 1., mam 

